The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-08-20
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
THE CHECKER"

New OXFORD, Pa, August 18th, 1887.
Messrs. Editors We have great deal of sym
patty for the natural "kicker." We never saw
baby born into this world but what kicking was
about the first thing he began to engage in. Even
good old mother Eve began to kick over some
things in the very beginning, and it is not to be
wondered at when we consider the gentle, loving
ways of the "better half that poor Adam was
brought into line. Kicking seems to be in the
nature of things, and so it has come down all
through the ages to our day. Men will KICK,
women will kick sometimes, and babies always
kick. Animals kick everything kicks. So we
think kicking is the rule and not the exception,
and we ought to have sympathy.
Good men kick. Paul himself told his Roman
brethren that notwithstanding "it was hard to kick
against the pricks," that when he would do good
he found evil present with him, which he did not
impute to the works of the devil, but to the law
of his members which were at war with the law of
his mind, and was not subject to the spiritual law
of God neither indeed could be. 1t was the
natural law of the flesh, prone to evil, and had no
power in and of itself to do good. Paul had not
got rid of it but had learned to love God delight
ed in the workings of His spiritual law, loved it
and desired to perfectly obey its teachings. Still
he had with him constant tendency to kick that
caused him good deal of unhappiness, and he
exclaimed, go, wretched man that L am. Who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? We
thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, we got
the victory" Paul, like his Master, often spoke
in figurative language, and no doubt when speak
ing of his "thorns in the flesh" had reference to
this perplexing tendency of the natural heart to
sin, and he wished the world to know that he had
his troubles in common with all mankind, that he
might the better point out the great source OF
mower from which he obtained his freedom. Paul
was profound reasoner and had wonderful
power of getting at the very kernel OF truth In all
matters connected with his great missionary work,
and we consider him the best of counsel to any
one disposed to kick over the troubles of life
There is no question but what this disposition to
kick is a common frailty of our poor human ma
ture, which every one is subject to. 1t will grow
upon us and become source of much sorrow II
We truly pity a chronic grumbler who sees bad
in everything. The weather is always too hot or
too cod too dry or too wet thing goes wrong,
and the poor fellow not only makes himself but
everybody else unhappy about him. met man
once on the train as we were returning home by
way of the Western Maryland railroad. We were
just making the summit of the South Mountain
when the strain upon the coupling caused it to
give way and the train began to slide back down
the heavy grade. Our grumbler splang upon his
feet and began to scream at the top of his voice:
"We are all going to smash prepare for death and
the judgment" Of course women screamed and
men jumped up and everything was confusion
We grabbed the old man by the shoulder and told
You see our "kick" was up, but just at that mo-
ment the conductor came in our car and as soon
as he could be heard said it was all right and
planned the cause of the alarm. The brakeman
held the train and in a short time we went on our
way rejoicing, except the old grumbler-he looked
scared-and we have no doubt felt very unhappy.
We are amused sometimes to see what little
things will get "kick" up to the highest notch.
For instance, we have been very much disturbed
of late by the little house fly. In the first place
there are good many of them, and in the second
place they are altogether too familiar, especially
when poor fellow is tired and wants to take his
afternoon nap, for just the moment we get our
couch all fixed up the cool side of the and
have raised the windows to let in the fresh breeze
and we are just beginning to take little comfort,
down comes ly on the end of your nose and be-
gins to fool around with his COMPOUNDED little
ticklish feet, and then another, and another, and
before you can get one eye half asleep, and you
may kick as much as you please, the fly will
triumph. So we say, like Solomon of old, there is
good deal of vexation of spirit in this world.
j. s. G.